The present invention relates to the medical image display art. It finds particular application in connection with medical image displays in the surgical suite, and in the surgical planning stages where a need exists to quickly display large image files to enable an understanding of the anatomy of a patient, and thus will be described with particular reference thereto. It is to be appreciated however, that the invention will also find application in conjunction with other types of imaging where data on remote sensors is made available to a client via a component object model architecture.
Increasing amounts of information are available to medical personnel in the course of planning procedures and even during actual surgical events. Continued advances in medical imaging systems such as magnetic resonance imagers, computer tomography devices, nuclear imaging equipment, positron emission tomography and ultrasound often provide a variety of 2-D and 3-D image files of increasing size and optimized for imaging of specific environments. Often surgical planning requires reference to images obtained from one or more of the above listed imagers, and still other images are needed during the surgical procedure. Accordingly, image displays must be able to quickly access and manipulate image files. However, current display techniques have limitations due to large volumes of data associated with large imaged volumes, high resolution images, multiple images of a common volume from different imaging modalities, multiple temporally offset images of a common volume (cinxc3xa9), the number of colors used, and other factors which make it difficult to optimize methods of accessing data from the memories of each of the above listed imagers. Moreover, utilizing the volumetric data of different imaging modalities is complex due to the different resolutions, different coordinates, different orthogonal and oblique planes, and the like.
surgical planning also requires deeper cut sections of the 3-D organs in multiple views to understand the anatomy of these organs. Typically, a series of planes across each proposed surgical path are indexed sequentially to understand the significance of a proposed path. The selected cut sections, slices, 3D renderings, and other views are typically needed rapidly in the clinical environment, particularly when a surgical procedure is in progress. This heavy burden on computer memory reduces display speed. The control of the data access diminishes as time progresses. Worse yet, the heavy data access and movement burden sometimes causes the computers to freeze removing the diagnostic tools from the physician conducting the planning process or the surgical procedure.
The present invention contemplates a new, improved method and apparatus for diagnostic image processing graphical and display which overcomes the above-referenced difficulties and others.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method of medical imaging includes collecting medical image data, representative of a region of interest. Responsive to receipt of a request for manipulation of the image data, a software process is determined to at least partially accomplish the request. A handle for the determined process is selected, and the request is processed via the handle.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes displaying the processed image data.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the collecting image data step includes prior to a surgical event, receiving first image data from at least one medical imaging device. The medical imaging device is selected from the set of a magnetic resonance device, a computed tomography device, a nuclear imaging device, a Positron emission tomography device, and an ultrasound device. The first image data is then stored in a memory.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the collecting image data step further includes during the surgical event receiving second image data, and storing the second image data in a memory.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the request for manipulation of the image data includes an input from a user interface. The determining process step includes referencing a registry to detect the registration of a process adapted to accomplish the request. From the registry, a handle is noted associated with the process.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the process resides in a component object modeling architecture and is adapted to make requests of other processes. The processing request step includes processing the request, and at determined locations in the process, formatting another request for another process to further accomplish the original request.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the method further includes planning the surgical event by performing tasks, including manipulating the user interface to selectively control image data displayed.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the method further includes performing the surgical event by performing tasks including manipulating the user interface to selectively control displays of the first and second image data.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a medical imaging system includes an imaging device for producing image data representative of a region of interest. A memory stores the image data and the processor manipulates at least portions of the image data for viewing on a display. A method of controlling the process includes the computer implemented steps of determining a process adapted to act on the request in response to a manipulation request from a client. A handle is determined which is associated with a component comprising the determined process, and the request is forwarded to the determined process via the handle.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the determining a process step includes returning an identifier from a registry of identifiers. The returned identifier is associated with the component including the process.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a medical imaging display system includes a memory storing first image data representative of a region of interest. A processor in data communication with a memory is additionally connected to a user interface for manipulating portions of image data in response to requests. The processor is controlled by component object modeled software to (a) determine an object adapted to act on the request, (b) select a handle for the determined object and, (c) employ the object via the handle to act on the request.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the imaging display system further includes a display operatively connected to the processor which selectively displays the manipulated image data.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the display system includes an image guided surgery planning system in which an operator selects views from the image data to plan a surgical event.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the system further includes a source of substantially real time image data representative of the region of interest. A second object, selectively accessible to the processor, is adapted to manipulate the real time image data.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the display system includes an image guided surgery system in which an operator selects views from the image data and real time image data to display during a surgical event.
One advantage of the present invention resides in the utilization of component object modeling architecture to improve the speed of display updates and appearance of the display during manipulation.
Another advantage of the present invention resides in the ability to perform remote surgery from a remote server.
Another advantage of the present resides in the system""s flexibility to include other software, or third party software products within a COM-based architecture system.
Other advantages and benefits of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the preferred embodiments.